Ground broken on Solano County courthouse revamp project

A historic civic building in Fairfield, lauded by elected officials as a symbol of what makes our country great and a monument to what has gone before us, is on track to be put back into use offering increased access to justice.

California's top judge highlighted a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the long-awaited start of renovations to the historic Old Solano Courthouse in Fairfield. The 1911 building served as a functioning courthouse until the 1970s, but has been vacant since 2005.

Held on the courthouse steps, Wednesday's event was attended by local and state officials as well as many Solano County Superior Court judges. There they celebrated a collaborative effort between local leaders, the state Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), and local court officials.

"This building is beautiful and has a tremendous history," said Judge Paul Beeman, presiding judge of the Solano County Superior Court.

"It's a part of us. It's a part of our history, a part of our community and it's a part of our evolution," he added.

Set to begin this summer, renovation of the courthouse will provide three additional courtrooms for civil law cases. At a cost of $27 million, the project is funded by Senate Bill 1407, enacted in 2008 to provide up to $5 billion in funding for new and renovated courthouses using court fees, penalties and assessments, rather than the state's General Fund.

A resolution passed in 2008 by the Solano County Board of Supervisors transferred ownership of the building to the AOC at a cost of $1.

Also to speak at the event were State Senators Noreen Evans and Lois Wolk, both D-Solano, Assemblyman Jim Frazier, D-Solano, and Supervisor Linda Seifert.

"This is not just a building, this is a symbol," Evans said.

They're places people look to," she added.

Frazier, a general contractor by trade, praised the project as it would provide jobs for those in the construction trade.

California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye echoed Frazier's comments saying, "This is the only back-to-work initiative in California and it's the judicial branch. And you made it happen."

She added that the E.C. Hemmings-designed courthouse is only one of two projects in the SB 1407 initiative that will receive a historic renovation.

"As you look at California's history you begin to realize that when they coined the phrase, "Temples of Justice," they meant institutions like the Solano County Courthouse," Cantil-Sakauye said.